0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yumi's Struggle
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Where No Duelist Has Gone Before
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
Both the two duelists and the witnesses of the duel were back in the arboretum, but all was not well…
Yumi was lying on her back, and not moving. Erik rushed up and knelt beside her.
Rasputin was twenty paces away, the Rod of the Ancients firmly in his grasp, and a grin on his face. Olga and Nicholas were behind him, and they didn't seem very pleased.
Ren and Sam were downright angry, and Chelsea looked about ready to commit murder.
"Success!" laughed Rasputin. "So… The Mouto legacy has finally reached its endpoint… I only wish it could have lasted longer…"
He started to walk towards Yumi.
"Well, all I must do is claim the Crown of Souls, and I'll be done here…"
And then he stopped short…
…in the next instant, the Sword of Tsunami was against his throat, and Chelsea was looking him in the eye with a look of fury.
"You're dreaming, pal…" she said with a scowl. "Make one more move towards Yumi's Crown, and you won't have a head to wear it on."
Rasputin looked at her. He gulped.
"I won the duel…" he said, nervously. "It's rightfully mine…"
"I don't recall any wagers," said Chelsea. "Now take what's yours, and get lost before I really get mad."
Rasputin started to sweat. She was right… No wager had been made. He had meant to make one, but after telling Yumi about his past, he had completely forgotten…
His eyes turned to Yumi. She was apparently dead… The Crown had no owner, so it was free for anyone to take, but now…
"Nicholas, Olga!" he shouted. "Help!"
"Uh, Rasputin…" said Nicholas. "Didn't you tell us that whoever has that Sword can't be bested in combat?"
He looked at his Gale Shield.
"Didn't you also tell me that this thing doesn't protect me against someone possessing another Charm?"
Damn… thought Rasputin. Damn, damn, damn…
He looked at Chelsea.
"You're making a mistake girl…" he said. "My contacts reach very far… Think of your family, your future, your…"
He gagged as he felt the blade press into his neck.
"I really don't care…" whispered Chelsea. "You have to the count of ten to start running…
"One, two…
"…skip-a-few, eight, nine…"
"All right, you win!" shouted Rasputin, backing up. "But this is far from over!"
He turned and fled, and Nicholas and Olga ran after him.
In the meantime, Erik was trying desperately to apply CPR to Yumi.
"Come on, Yumi," he pleaded. "Please start breathing…"
Anastasia appeared in a burst of light. It was clear that something had happened to her.
"Where have YOU been?" shouted Ren. "You took off when Yumi needed you the most!"
"It wasn't my fault," gasped Anastasia. "When I tried to follow, something grabbed me and locked me in some dark cell. I don't know how. I just now managed to break out."
Ren turned to Yumi.
"No…" he said, as a tear fell down his face. "Yumi… You can't be dead…"
Anastasia looked at Yumi.
She isn't dead… she thought. If she were, I'd be receiving instructions to escort her soul to the afterlife…
So then… She's somewhere else…
But where? Where are you Yumi?
She looked through the glass ceiling towards the sky…
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Cassandra looked at the three cards in front of her with a confused look on her face.
The first one was The High Priestess. The second one was The Tower.
The third…
It bore the image of a young teenager wearing armor, holding a long, wooden staff.
"I didn't expect this…" said Cassandra. "The Knights of the Minor Arcana usually represent travel, and the Knight of Wands most often represents travel to an exotic and exciting place…
"What in the world could it mean?"
She slowly drew another card.
She smirked.
The image on the card was that of a young man resting on a pallet, with three swords hanging on the wall above him, and one on the floor under him.
"The Four of Swords," she said. "The meditation card. A card that represents recovery and healing after a painful ordeal.
"Whoever or whatever the Knight of Wands represents, I believe it is a positive sign…"
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Yumi – at least the part of her that was truly her – was lying on a sandy surface with her eyes closed. Her head was swimming.
As the dizziness faded, she heard a soft cooing noise, and something brushing up against her face…
Something soft and fuzzy…
She slowly opened her eyes, and saw the small creature. It was a Kuriboh…
A Kuriboh with wings on its back.
"Uhm, hullo?" she said. "Where am I?"
She sat up. She was on a beach of some sort…
Then she gasped…
On the horizon, over the trees of some rainforest, in a night sky, there was a huge, looming planet that suggested Jupiter. Several other planets and moons hung around it.
Yumi stopped to catch her breath. She looked towards the ocean.
A group of dolphins surfaced. They chittered.
The strange Kuriboh cooed again.
"Uh, I'm sorry…" said Yumi, "I don't speak your language…"
She bowed her head.
"Where am I?" she repeated.
"Let me retrace my steps… Got up… Had breakfast… Dueled Rasputin and his Fire Chaos Deck…
"Oh…
"Crud… This is it… I didn't survive that Shadow Game…
"So maybe this is Heaven or Hell…"
Then she heard someone laughing behind her.
"You know," said the voice, "that was exactly what I thought when I came here the first time…"
Yumi turned and got up.
Twenty paces behind her, sitting on a rock, was a young man who seemed about two years older than she was. He had a trendy haircut and wore a red college blazer.
Yumi looked at him, now more than a little afraid. The strange Kuriboh cooed happily, and flew up to the young man, perching on his shoulder.
"Okay…" said Yumi. "Now I know I'm dead… Mom, dad, I'm so sorry…"
"You aren't dead, Yumi," he replied. "Not yet, anyway… See…"
"But…" said Yumi. "If I'm not dead, how can you be here? Everyone knows the story… Forty years ago…"
"Forty years ago…" interrupted the young man, "Jaden Yuki and a group of his allies on the Pro League chartered a private plane to take them to a convention in New York. The plane crashed in the Rockies, and when a rescue team found it, only the pilot was there. He told the rescuers that his passengers had wandered off to look for help. Search parties were mounted, but they were never found, and later it was presumed that they had starved in the wilderness."
Yumi looked at him.
"Is, uh… THAT what you were going to say?" asked Jaden.
"Uh… yeah…" muttered Yumi. "More or less. You guys are the Amelia Earharts of the dueling world."
Jaden sighed.
"We were all watching the memorial service they had for us," he continued. "It was… touching.
"Anyway, I'll share with you the truth…
"First of all, the crash wasn't an accident. Chazz bribed the pilot to crash the plane on purpose. He had to pay the guy almost all the money in his trust fund to get him to do something that might get his license revoked if he was ever caught, but Chazz knew he'd never need material wealth again.
"When the plane's radio assured us that a rescue team was on the way, we told the pilot to stay with the plane while we looked around. We left, and as far as he knew, we got lost.
"In reality, we all knew exactly where we were going. We went to a waiting portal that led here."
"Where is 'here' exactly?" asked Yumi.
Jaden smirked.
"Neo-Space," he said.
Yumi stood spellbound for a second.
"You see Yumi…" said Jaden. "The Neo-Spacians had made me an offer… To rule over them. But I had owed my friends a great deal, so I offered them a chance to come too. They accepted. Now, you might say I'm the Head of State, and they're my governors.
"And the benefits are great… The Neo-Spacians have made us truly immortal. You notice I haven't aged a day. That Rasputin… He'd give his left arm for their secrets, not that they'd ever give any to him, even if they could."
"Well… Why am I here?" asked Yumi.
"I was getting to that," said Jaden. "We also have the ability to see any duel that's happening. Even Shadow Games. In fact, we've been watching the Duelatopia tournaments for the past nineteen years. There isn't a single one of us who doesn't wish he could compete…"
He sighed.
"Yumi… Do you remember the words you exchanged with Rasputin before his Gren Maju Da Eiza attacked?"
"Well it's… kind of a blur…" muttered Yumi.
Jaden shook his head.
"Rasputin hoped you'd see his side," replied Jaden. "That you'd admit that your faith had gotten you nowhere.
"But you defied him. You were facing certain defeat, and you told him otherwise.
"Yumi, as much as Rasputin denies it, such faith does not go unrewarded. Most folks would have been killed instantly by that attack. But you were sustained with enough of a spark left for me to draw you here. I'm able to tap into the power of Neo-Space itself for a variety of uses…
"The Sorcerer Kings normally put up protective measures to make sure there are no rescue attempts from a Yami no Oujou… But they never knew about Neo-Space, and have no understanding about its power. It's an energy source unlike anything they ever dreamed of. They could never have prepared against my intervention.
"And I can help. I know how the Yami no Oujou works, because I encountered a similar situation."
"Really?" asked Yumi.
"I'll be as brief as possible," said Jaden. "Time is of the essence, as some folks are so fond of saying.
"In my third year at school, we were under the tutelage of a guy named Professor Thelonius Viper. Now, with a name like that, I knew right away he would be tons of fun, if you get my drift... Most students would be scared of a seven-foot-tall muscleman in a military uniform who never smiled, with the same name as a snake, and frankly, we were."
He rolled his eyes.
"But anyway, he introduced a new system called Survival Duels. Each student wore this sort of wristband called a Bio-Band, and whenever we dueled, in theory, it would measure our energy, effort, spirit, and motivation. If we gave more effort, we'd get better grades."
"Sounds like a good idea," replied Yumi.
"Yeah…" replied Jaden. "I thought so too at first. And it would have been if that's what they really were doing. The truth was, the Bio-Bands weren't measuring our energy, they were stealing it. It drained the duelists to the point of exhaustion, so that once a duel was over, they'd be as tired as they would be from dueling ten times in a row."
Yumi was shocked.
"Why…" she said. "Why was this Viper guy doing this?"
Jaden looked a little nervous.
"He…" he muttered. "He was just a pawn. The Survival Duels led to some things… Some bad things…
"Well, let me just say, it's one of the reasons why I owed these friends a lot.
"But anyway, back to the here and now…
"A Yami no Oujou is kind of like a Survival Duel. The winner keeps his duel energy, the loser is sucked dry, and might even die as a result.
"Look…"
Jaden pointed. Yumi turned her head.
She saw a portal, which seemed to display a freeze-frame. Erik was in the process of trying to resuscitate her.
"Your true body is back on Earth, Yumi," said Jaden. "Your heart just stopped beating. Erik is trying his best. But in five minutes, he'll have no choice but to give up."
Yumi started to tremble in fear.
"Fortunately," continued Jaden, "a time warp is in effect. Another gift from the Neo-Spacians. Five minutes on Earth now equals about an hour here. We have that long to save you."
"How?" asked Yumi, frantically. "Do these… Neo-Spacians you keep mentioning have a doctor on call?"
"Well, yes," he said, "but he's rarely needed. There's no such thing as illness here, and injuries are rare."
He hopped off the rock.
"Here's what we have to do," he continued. "Your duel energy is nearly depleted, and it's what's maintaining your life energy. We have to build it up again, and channel it back to you body.
"We have to duel…"
Yumi paused.
"Me? Versus you?" she asked. "Well… Uhm… Couldn't you get one of your friends to do it?"
"I'm sure they'd be happy to," replied Jaden. "But the all of them in their bases at different locations around Neo-Space, or working on some sort of project. Governing this place isn't all fun and games, you know. Syrus is working towards colonizing a planet that we just discovered, Alexis is doing an inspection of the farming sectors… I myself had to interrupt something that I'm going to have to start over from scratch once we're done. To get them here, I'd have to call one of them, he or she would have to drop everything, come here, and that would take time. And we only have an hour, remember?"
"Well…" said Yumi. "I… guess I could try…"
I can duel him… she thought. It just doesn't have to end in victory.
In two flashes of light, Duel Disks appeared on both of their arms.
"I must say, Yumi," said Jaden, "this will be great… For the past forty years, I've had to duel the same opponents over and over again… So good to finally have a new one!"
"I'll try not to be a disappointment…" said Yumi.
The Disks activated. Then Yumi's Puzzle glowed.
"Yumi…" said the Pharaoh's voice.
"Oh good, you made it," she replied.
"Barely," he said. "I was able to find a silver cord, and it led me here. Of course, I'm not exactly sure where 'here' is. Care to fill me in?"
"Long story short," replied Yumi. "We have to get through one more duel for my body to recover."
There was a pause.
"Works for me," he replied.
Her Puzzle glowed brighter, and the change overtook her.
She looked at Jaden.
"Game on!" they shouted.
(Yumi: 8,000) -------------------- (Jaden: 8,000)
Okay, let me think… thought Yumi, as she drew her opening hand. From what I heard, Jaden started out with an Elemental Hero Deck…
But then, his deck was strengthened… By strange creatures that came from the stars…
Could those be these… Neo-Spacians he keeps talking about?
I guess the only thing to do is… Expect the unexpected…
She made her first draw.
"For my first move…" she said. "I summon Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer."
In an aura of dark energy, the bald, scarred monk appeared, and crossed his arms. (1,800/700)
"That's enough for now…" she said.
"All right!" exclaimed Jaden. "I draw…"
He drew a card.
"And I play… Graceful Charity."
He played the card, and his deck glowed. He picked up three cards.
He looked at his hand for a second, and then discarded two cards.
"Now to bring out a guy you're gonna be sure to love," he said, playing a card. "I play the Spell Card, O-Oversoul. Now, I can Special Summon an Elemental Hero from my Graveyard, so long as he isn't an Effect Monster."
"You're gonna bring out one you just tossed in there!" replied Yumi.
"You got it!" replied Jaden. "So come on out…"
A burst of light shot out of the ground, and flew into the sky, making a burst against the stars. Then, a brilliant form flew downward.
"Meet Elemental Hero Neos!" shouted Jaden.
The figure that was in front of him now was clearly not only a hero, he was a cosmic hero. Dressed in a silvery bodysuit with a triangular design on the chest and a cowl with a pointed crest, this Warrior radiated an air of power that was impossible to ignore. (2,500/2,000)
Good lord… thought Yumi. He's just as strong as Dark Magician… And he summoned him on his first turn!
"I'm not done," said Jaden. "Since I was here to welcome you to Neo-Space, I thought I'd introduce you to the guy who was here to greet me when I first came here. So come on out, Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin!"
The ocean churned, and a wave rushed to the shore. A small form somersaulted out, and landed next to Neos.
It suggested, if anything, a humanoid dolphin wearing a blue spandex outfit. He crossed his arms and smiled at Yumi. (600/800)
I was right… thought Yumi. This is more than Elemental Heroes… This is Elemental Heroes for the space age…
"Now…" continued Jaden, "I'm activating Aqua Dolphin's special ability. I discard one card…"
He tossed a card into his discard slot.
"…and then I get to see your hand. If there's a Monster there that has less Attack Points than one of my Monsters, like, say, my Elemental Hero Neos, it's destroyed, and you lose 500 Life Points.
"Aquos, echolocation!"
Aqua Dolphin opened his mouth, and a wave of ear-splitting sound shot out, and struck Yumi's hand of cards.
"Not that one!" shouted Yumi.
The phantom image of Dark Magician Girl appeared next to her, and cringed in pain. Her card vanished, and then she shattered.
"I'm not done," said Jaden. "Neos, attack Kycoo the Ghost Destroyer! Cosmic crusher!"
Neos flew at Kycoo, and struck with a savage karate chop, blasting the Ghost Destroyer into shards.
"Aquos, you're up," said Jaden.
The Neo-Spacian flew at Yumi, and then punched her across the face. She fell over.
"Ow…" she muttered.
(Y: 6,200) -------------------- (J: 8,000)
"I thought you were trying to help me…" she muttered.
"I never said I'd go easy on you," replied Jaden. "In fact, I can't. If I use kid gloves, if I make this too easy, the energy might not be enough. This duel has to be for real, Yumi.
"I'll place this facedown, and let you go."
He fit a card into his Disk and a facedown card appeared.
Yumi made a draw.
Nuts… she thought. I have no-one who even comes close to beating his Neos…
But… His Aqua Dolphin is much weaker, and if I don't get rid of him, he might use that same trick again on his next turn.
She placed a card on her Disk.
"I summon… Gemini Elf!"
The two twin elves appeared, and looked around in wonder at their surroundings. (1,900/900)
"Attack his Aqua Dolphin!" she shouted.
The two elves raised their hands, and they started to glow with energy.
"Go, Trap Card!" shouted Jaden. "Interdimensional Matter Transporter!"
His facedown card lifted up, and the odd machine appeared behind Aqua Dolphin. In a flash of light, the Neo-Spacian vanished.
"Uh, yeah…" muttered Yumi. "Good save… I have to end my turn…"
The machine flashed, and Aqua Dolphin reappeared.
Jaden drew a card.
"Now I'm gonna show you the neat trick that Neos can do…" he said.
"Neos… Aquos…"
The two Warriors nodded to each other.
"Contact Fusion!"
Neos and Aqua Dolphin flew into the air, and collided in a burst of light…
Then, a new Hero landed in front of Jaden. It resembled Neos wearing a costume that was a combination of his and Aqua Dolphin's, blue and white, with a finned crest on the cowl. He glowed with a blue energy aura. (2,500/2,000)
"Meet Elemental Hero Aqua Neos," said Jaden.
"Wait…" said Yumi. "Contact Fusion? What the…"
"Neos possesses the power to fuse with any Neo-Spacian to form a special Fusion Monster," said Jaden. "I don't need any Polymerization card, and Neos and the Neo-Spacian go back to my deck instead of the Graveyard.
"It has one downside, but before that happens…"
He discarded one of his cards.
"I activate Aqua Neos's special ability. Sonar wave!"
Aqua Neos blasted a beam of pure sound from his hands. The Polymerization card in Yumi's hand vanished.
Well, it could have been worse… she thought, looking at her other cards.
"Next…" said Jaden, "I play… H-Heated Heart. I choose one of my Monsters, and it gains 500 Attack Points and a trampling effect for one round.
Neos rose to an Attack of 3,000.
"Aqua Neos, attack Gemini Elf!"
Aqua Neos shot a blast of water mixed with sound, and Gemini Elf screamed before they were blasted to bits.
"I end my turn," he said. "And now we get to that downside… At the end of a round where I do a Contact Fusion, the Fusion Monster has to leave…"
Aqua Neos turned into a column of water, and then shot into the sky before vanishing.
(Y: 5,100) -------------------- (J: 8,000)
"My move…" said Yumi.
She drew a card.
He ended the turn with nothing on his side of the field at all! she thought. Heh… I almost feel dirty for doing this…
She placed a card on her Disk, and Breaker appeared on the field. (1,600/1,000) –) (1,900/1,000)
No cards to destroy, she thought, but I can save it for later.
"Attack him directly!" she shouted.
Breaker lifted his sword, and flew at Jaden…
Then a fiendish-looking Warrior appeared behind Jaden. He had a mane of white hair, and spiked, banded armor. He put his arms around Jaden, and the sword was deflected.
"What on Earth?" muttered Yumi.
Jaden chuckled, and held up a card.
"When I activated Aqua Dolphin's ability," he said, "the card I sent to the Graveyard was this guy… Necro Gardna. When he's in there, I just have to remove him from play, and I can deflect one attack."
The card vanished, and Yumi shook her head.
She turned to the Pharaoh, who was standing next to her.
"Any ideas?" she asked.
He shook his head.
"Planning a strategy requires a basic idea of what you're facing," he said. "I'm afraid that Jaden represents an opponent unlike anything I've ever faced before. This makes him defy comprehension.
"We can only try to follow as the duel progresses, and hope our own cards open a possibility of their own."
Jaden drew a card.
"All I have to do," he said, "is throw down two facedowns, and that will be my turn."
He placed his two remaining cards into his Disk, and they appeared in front of him.
Yumi took the card she had drawn.
"I play… Pot of Greed," she said, playing it.
The laughing jug appeared, and she drew twice.
She looked at the two cards.
His only defense is those facedown cards… she thought. They've got to do something…
She played a card.
"I summon Magician's Valkyria," she said.
In a flash of light, Valkyria appeared, brandishing her staff. (1,600/1,800)
"Now…" she said, "I use Breaker's effect, to destroy your facedown card on the left…"
Breaker's Attack Score fell down to 1,600, and his shield glowed…
"Chain!" shouted Jaden, as his facedown Quickplay lifted. "The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh."
In a burst of light, that odd, Winged Kuriboh appeared in front of him in Defense Mode. (300/200)
"Which, as the name suggests, summons a Kuriboh."
Yumi looked at the small creature closely for a minute… Strangely, she felt a small connection to this Monster…
She figured she'd sort it out later.
She paused…
She had an idea…
"Sorry, Jaden," she said, choosing a card, "that will protect you from a direct attack, but I can still hurt you…"
She played a card.
"I play… Double Spell. Now, I'll discard this…"
She discarded her Dedication Through Light and Darkness.
"And I get to use a Spell Card in your Graveyard. And the one I have my eye on is that H-Heated Heart one."
Jaden took a step back, as the art for Double Spell turned into that for his card.
"So…" said Yumi. "500 more Attack Points and a trampling effect, right?"
Valkyria shot up to an Attack of 2,100.
She fired her burning magic. Winged Kuriboh shattered, and Jaden clutched his chest.
(Y: 5,100) -------------------- (J: 6,100)
"O-kay…" he grunted. "That… could have gone better…"
His other facedown card lifted.
"Activate… Hero Signal!"
A beam of light shot out of the card, and turned into a spotlight against the clouds, forming an odd symbol.
"Since my Monster was destroyed," he said, "I get to summon an Elemental Hero from my deck. So I'll bring out Burstinatrix in Defense Mode."
In a burst of flame, a female hero in a red costume and long hair appeared on the field. She did a backflip, and then knelt in Defense Mode. (1,200/800)
Yumi raised an eyebrow.
"Breaker," she said, "you know what to do."
As Breaker lifted his sword, Yumi didn't know whether her eyes were deceiving her or not. She could almost swear she saw a sneaky smile on the heroine's face just before he struck…
Then the sword fell, she exploded into pixels, and it was impossible to tell.
"Just so you know…" said Yumi, "I'm not going easy on you either. It's your move…"
"I draw…" said Jaden.
He drew a card.
"Sweet!" he said, placing it on his Disk. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman!"
In a burst of watery bubbles, a new figure appeared. It was a Hero in blue, with a cape and cowl, with tanks on his back, connected to hoses on his wrists. (800/1,200)
Yumi raised an eyebrow.
"Now," said Jaden, "when Bubbleman is summoned, and I have no other cards on the field or in my hand, I get to draw twice…"
He made two draws.
"And look at that! One of them is my own Pot of Greed!"
He played the card, and then drew twice again.
"And it looks like I just drew his favorite Equip Spell," he continued. "Bubble Blaster!"
He played the card, and Bubbleman got down on one knee. A huge, bazooka-like cannon with a tank of water on top materialized in his hands. His Attack Score rose to 1,600.
"That makes him just as strong as my two Monsters…" said Yumi.
"I'm not done," said Jaden, taking another card from his hand. "I play… Common Soul."
"Okay, that one I'm not familiar with either," replied Yumi, as the card appeared.
"I'll explain," said Jaden. "I choose one Monster on the field. Then I Special Summon a Neo-Spacian in my hand to the same side of the field.
"So… I'll choose Bubbleman, and summon Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird."
A gust of wind blew over the field, and a new alien materialized. It was a tall, humanoid bird with red feathers and a long beak, with white, feathered wings and a tail. (800/600)
"Then," continued Jaden, "due to the effect of Common Soul, Hummingbird's Attack Score is added to Bubbleman's."
Bubbleman glowed with blue fire, and rose to an Attack of 2,400.
"Good grief…" muttered Yumi.
"Did I mention that Hummingbird has a cool effect of his own?" asked Jaden.
Hummingbird flew into the air. Yumi was shocked as two huge flowers sprouted from the two cards in her hand. The Neo-Spacian dipped his beak into them, and Jaden glowed.
"Sure, it looks weird…" said Jaden, "but for each card in your hand, I gain 500 Life Points.
"Now… Bubbleman, attack Valkyria! Bombarding bubble barrage!"
Bubbleman fired an intense blast of water from his weapon. Valkyria sputtered and strained as a watery explosion erupted around her, and then she shattered.
"That's one bubble I can't wait to burst…" muttered Yumi.
(Y: 4,300) -------------------- (J: 7,100)
Yumi stopped to catch her breath…
"Of all the Monsters that I imagined I'd see playing this game…" she said, "an alien hummingbird never quite made the list…"
She took some deep breaths again.
"You know, Jaden," she said with a slight smile. "Maybe it's just the pain talking… But I think it's working… I feel fuller of energy than ever…"
"Good," said Jaden. "So keep it up…"
"You got it," said Yumi. "On with the duel!"
Yumi drew a card. She looked at the Trap Card.
Breaker could take out his Hummingbird… she thought. But if I did that…
"I place one card facedown, and a Monster in Defense Mode," she said.
A facedown Monster and a facedown card appeared.
"Now… Breaker goes into Defense Mode…"
Breaker knelt and shielded himself.
"That will do it," she said.
"Okay then…" said Jaden.
He drew one card.
"And once again…"
A single flower sprouted out of the last card in Yumi's hand. Hummingbird sucked the energy out of it, and Jaden glowed again.
"Now, attack her facedown Monster!"
Hummingbird flew towards the facedown card, and was surprised when Morphing Jar appeared on it. He gave it a peck, and it shattered.
"Heh," said Yumi. "Now we gotta toss what's left of our hands and draw five new cards."
Jaden shrugged. They both discarded the one card they had, and made five draws.
"Bubbleman…" continued Jaden, "attack Breaker!"
Bubbleman fired his cannon at the Magical Warrior…
"I activate Draining Shield!" she shouted.
Her Trap Card lifted, and a dome of force formed around her. The blast of water struck the shield, and Yumi glowed.
Jaden looked at the cards he had just drawn.
"Well, that's it for now," he said.
(Y: 6,700) -------------------- (J: 7,600)
"Then watch out!" shouted Yumi, drawing a sixth card.
She chose one of them.
"I play… Monster Reborn!" she shouted. "And I'll bring back someone who your Dolphin made me discard…"
The ankh appeared in a fierce, glowing light, and Dark Magician Girl appeared in front of her. She twirled around, and smiled at Jaden. (2,000/1,700)
"Nice…" said Jaden. "Too bad that Syrus couldn't make it here…"
"Pardon?" asked Yumi.
"Long story…" replied Jaden.
"Uhm, continuing…" said Yumi. "I play Sage's Stone. Now, I get to summon someone else… The one and only Dark Magician!"
Dark Magician Girl held aloft her staff, and in a flash of light, the Dark Magician appeared beside her. His apprentice smiled at him. (2,500/2,100)
"And finally…" she said, "I sacrifice Breaker, to summon Chaos Command Magician."
She played the card, and Breaker vanished in grains of light. The more powerful chaos mage appeared. (2,400/1,900)
The three sorcerers glared at Jaden and his two Monsters…
"Dark Magician Girl…" ordered Yumi. "Attack his Hummingbird! Dark burning attack!"
Dark Magician Girl fired a blast of black magic, blowing the Neo-Spacian to shards.
"And without him," continued Yumi, "the effect of your Common Soul goes away."
Bubbleman fell to an Attack of 1,600.
"Chaos Command Magician… Attack his Bubbleman! Chaos magic!"
The chaos mage cast his own hex at the cowled Hero. Bubbleman shielded himself with the Blaster. It shattered, and he stood up, his Attack falling to 800.
"Bubbleman is unharmed…" muttered Jaden. "When he has Bubble Blaster, he can ditch it in order to reduce the damage to zero."
"Swell," said Yumi. "But what will protect him now? Dark Magician… Dark… magic… attack!"
The older mage fired a more intense blast, and Bubbleman was blown to pieces.
(Y: 6,700) -------------------- (J: 4,700)
"Not bad," said Jaden. "Got anything else?"
"That's it," said Yumi.
"Then I draw…" said Jaden, drawing a card.
"Heh, heh," he said. "Yumi, uhm… I gotta come clean with you… Using that Trap Card to summon Burstinatrix… I didn't do it to shield myself from a direct attack… See, when Winged Kuriboh was destroyed, my Life Points couldn't have been damaged any more that turn…"
"Then why did you…" started Yumi.
Then it hit her. Burstinatrix's smirk made sense now.
"You wanted me to destroy her, didn't you?" she gasped.
"Yep," said Jaden. "Because I knew it was only a matter of time before I drew this. Check it out! It's Miracle Fusion!"
"Miracle Fusion?" exclaimed Yumi. "Don't you have any normal cards?"
"I'm full of surprises," said Jaden, playing the card. "This card lets me fuse together Elemental Heroes on the field and in my Graveyard by removing them from play. And I ditched Avian earlier to use Aqua Neos's effect.
"So now I can fuse together him and Burstinatrix…
"And let's bring him out… Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"
Two figures appeared in front of Jaden. One was clearly Burstinatrix. The other was a winged Warrior in green.
Then they swirled together, and formed into a strange, humanoid creature. He had a fiendish-looking face, wore green and red spandex, had a single feathered wing and a long tail, and his right arm was a fierce, red dragon. (2,100/1,200)
"Uhm… Impressive…" said Yumi.
"Wait until you see what's coming next," said Jaden, holding up another Monster card. "I'm gonna use another Elemental Hero, and his name is Captain Gold.
"But don't worry, I'm not going to summon him…"
He discarded the card.
"See, by sending Captain Gold to the Graveyard, I get to add a certain Spell Card to my hand from my deck."
A card appeared in his hand. His Field Slot opened.
"And now I'll play it," he said, placing it in the slot. "Go, Skyscraper!"
Yumi stared in disbelief, as the whole landscape burst open, and the buildings of a huge, dark city rose around the two of them.
"I love playing this card," said Jaden. "Neo-Space doesn't have any large cities… This makes me think of home when I need to… And…"
He pointed upwards. Yumi looked up, and saw that the Flame Wingman was perched on the spire of the tallest building.
"…in this berg, Elemental Heroes gain a thousand Attack Points whenever they attack a Monster that has more Attack Points than they do.
"Flame Wingman, attack the Chaos Command Magician with skydive scorcher!"
Flame Wingman flew off the spire, and erupted in flames. He hurtled towards Chaos Command Magician like a meteorite… His Attack Score rose to 3,100.
Yumi shielded herself, as he was blown to pixels.
"And that's not all," said Jaden. "Thanks to Flame Wingman's effect, whenever he clocks a Monster, you take damage equal to the Attack Score of the Monster he clocks."
Yumi's eyes widened as the Hero pointed his dragon arm at her…
She screamed as she was engulfed in flames.
She fell on one knee.
(Y: 3,600) -------------------- (J: 4,700)
"Don't stop now, Yumi!" shouted Jaden. "We're almost there! Back on Earth, your breathing and pulse have restarted, but they're weak. We just have to finish, and you should recover good as new!"
"I have no intention of stopping…" growled Yumi.
Jaden placed a card in his Disk and a facedown card appeared.
"Then by all means, move…" he said.
That hurt… she thought. But he made one crucial mistake, and it's gonna cost him…
"I play Premature Burial," she said, playing a card. "Now, I just pay 800 Life Points, and Chaos Command Magician comes back…"
The pavement in front of her burst open, and Chaos Command Magician leapt out of the ground. (2,400/1,900)
"Next…" she said. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon. That means your Field Spell is demolished!"
She played the card, and a cyclone tore across the field. The buildings shattered and collapsed, returning them to the alien beach.
"Chaos Command Magician…" she shouted, "attack the Flame Wingman!"
Chaos Command Magician aimed his staff.
"I activate a Trap Card!" shouted Jaden. "Go, Hero Barrier!"
His facedown card lifted, and Chaos Command Magician's blast was halted by a vortex of pure energy.
"When I have at least one Elemental Hero on the field," he said, "this lets me negate one attack."
"Fine…" said Yumi. "I've got two more Monsters…
"Dark Magician… You do it."
Dark Magician flew at the merged Hero. He fired a blast from his scepter, and the Flame Wingman shattered.
"Dark Magician Girl… Attack directly!"
"Uh… oh…" said Jaden, as the female Spellcaster flew towards him.
A blast of magic struck in a huge explosion, with Jaden in the center. He fell on one knee, and held his chest.
(Y: 2,800) -------------------- (J: 2,300)
"Uh… You okay?" asked Yumi.
"Are you kidding?" he replied, getting up. "I've taken far worse than that…"
"Then I'll set this facedown," said Yumi, "and call it a turn."
A facedown card appeared.
Jaden made a draw.
"Okay, Yumi, here goes," he said, playing a card. "I play… Convert Contact. This is a little confusing, so try to follow.
"I can only use this when I have no Monsters on my side of the field. Then I discard two Neo-Spacians, one from my deck, and one from my hand. So, I'll discard Flare Scarab from my hand…"
He discarded a card.
"And then I'll discard Glow Moss from my deck."
He took a card from his deck, and discarded that one too.
"Later guys," he said.
"How many of these Neo-Spacians have you got?" asked Yumi.
"How many?" asked Jaden. "Well, Blair is in charge of keeping track of the population, and the last census was eight months ago… I think…"
"I meant in your deck!" interrupted Yumi.
"Oh, right!" replied Jaden with a laugh. "There are six races of Neo-Spacians, and I have one representative for each in my deck.
"Anyway, as per the effect of Convert Contact, I get to draw two cards."
He made two draws.
"Sweet!" he said, looking at them. "Now I can use a card that always makes me the hit of parties… It's called Cocoon Party.
"See, for every Neo-Spacian in my Graveyard, in other words, three, I now get to summon a Chrysalis Monster."
He played the card, and three small forms appeared on his side of the field.
The three small creatures on the field hardly looked formidable. One was a small, baby dolphin. (400/600) Another was a tiny, black kitten. (800/300) The third was a little, hedgehog-like animal. (700/100) All three of them were surrounded by a wispy, flimsy membrane that suggested a cocoon.
"How cute," said Yumi. "Little baby aliens…"
"They won't stay babies for long," said Jaden. "You thought Skyscraper was a cool Field Spell? Well, I've got another one…"
He placed a new card in his Field Slot.
"Time to go to the real final frontier. I play Neo-Space!"
There was a great flash of light…
Before Yumi knew it, she, her opponent, and their Monsters were standing amid the bodies of the cosmos, with stars, planets, and other celestial bodies both above and below them.
"Okay…" muttered Yumi. "Deep breaths… Deep, cleansing breaths…"
"It gets better…" said Jaden. "In Neo-Space, I can instantly evolve a Chrysalis into its grownup form…"
The three baby aliens glowed…
"So, say hello to Neo-Spacians Dark Panther, Grand Mole, and, uh, I think you already met Aqua Dolphin."
Yumi looked at the three Neo-Spacians. It was indeed the same Aqua Dolphin (600/800), along with a large, black panther wearing a cape (1,000/500) and a short, squat mole-man, wearing a metal collar that looked like two halves of a drilling machine. (900/300)
Yumi's eyes narrowed.
I don't get it… she thought. Those guys aren't nearly strong enough to beat my Spellcasters…
Unless…
"You're gonna sacrifice those guys, aren't you?" she shouted.
"Heh…" chuckled Jaden. "Well, actually, only two of them…
"But first, I play E-Emergency Call. Now I can take an Elemental Hero from my deck, and add it to my hand…"
He took a card from his deck.
"You guessed it… It's my old friend Neos!
"Panther… Aquos… You two hit the showers…"
Dark Panther and Aqua Dolphin vanished…
And then, Elemental Hero Neos appeared in a flash of light.
"And by the way…" continued Jaden, "since we're in Neo-Space, Neos and all of his Fusions gain 500 extra Attack Points."
(2,500/2,000) –) (3,000/2,000)
"Now… Neos… Grand Mole… Contact Fusion!"
Neos and the Neo-Spacian soared into the sky, just as it had happened before. In a flash of light, a new Hero descended. This one was dressed in bulky, green and brown armor, and his right hand had apparently been replaced by a huge, metal drill. (2,500/2,000) –) (3,000/2,000)
"It's Elemental Hero Grand Neos," said Jaden.
"Okay, Neos, do your stuff!"
The Hero's drill began to spin. Slowly, a black hole in the very fabric of the void started to open…
"What's happening?" shouted Yumi.
Then she let out a cry of surprise as Dark Magician was sucked through the hole.
She let out another cry of surprise when she saw that his card was back in her hand.
"That's his ability," said Jaden. "Once per round, he can send one of your Monsters back to your hand.
"And I still have his normal attack. Neos, attack Chaos Command Magician!"
Chaos Command Magician took a step back. Grand Neos's drill started to spin again, and he flew forward…
It was all Yumi could do to keep from screaming as he plunged the drill into his torso. Luckily, the Spellcaster shattered before anything unpleasant could be seen.
(Y: 2,200) -------------------- (J: 2,300)
"All right…" said Jaden. "My turn is over."
Yumi paused. She looked at Grand Neos.
"Uhm…" she muttered. "It's the Field Spell, right? That's what keeps him from disappearing this time, right?"
Jaden nodded.
"In Neo-Space," he replied, "a Monster summoned by Contact Fusion doesn't have to leave."
"Swell…" said Yumi.
She sighed.
[IHe's certainly gotten smarter in the past forty years,[/I she thought. [IHe knew that Chaos Command Magician was immune to that effect… Maybe the stories about him getting by with dumb luck were exaggerations…[/I
She looked at her hand, which now consisted of Dark Magician and Staunch Defender.
Her facedown card was Call of the Haunted, but anything she summoned with it would be in Attack Mode. No Monster in her Graveyard was strong enough to stand up to Neos. And if he sent Dark Magician Girl back to her hand, she would be facing a direct attack next round from… Heavens knew what…
She drew one card.
She smirked…
She took her Staunch Defender card and placed it in her Disk.
"I place this card facedown…" she said.
The facedown card appeared.
"Then, I raise Chaos Command Magician from the Graveyard with Call of the Haunted!"
Her Trap Card lifted, and the Spellcaster appeared in a burst of light. He gave a worried look, and held his stomach with his free hand. Once he was sure that he was in one piece, he turned to face Grand Neos. (2,400/1,900)
"And now…" said Yumi, taking the card she had just drawn, "I Equip him with Mage Power!"
She played the card.
"Now, he gains 500 Attack and Defense Points for each Spell and Trap I have on the field. That's 1,500 points added to both scores…"
Chaos Command Magician glowed, and shot up to (3,900/3,400)
"…and that's just enough to bring this duel home. Chaos Command Magician, attack Elemental Hero Grand Neos with chaos magic!"
Chaos Command Magician smirked, and flew at Neos, his scepter glowing with multicolored flames. With a blast of energy, the cosmic hero was blown to shards.
"Dark Magician Girl, finish this!" shouted Yumi. "Attack directly!"
Dark Magician Girl flew at Jaden and cast her lethal spell. He hollered and fell to his knees.
(Y: 2,200) -------------------- (J: 0)
"Well, Jaden…" said Yumi, "that's game!"
"Heh, heh…" laughed Jaden. "Hey, that's my line!"
The void of Neo-Space vanished, returning them to the beach.
"Not bad, Yumi," said the voice of the Pharaoh. "It's good to know that we were able to spring back so soon."
"Let's hope it was enough," replied Yumi.
"Oh, it was enough," said Jaden, with a laugh.
He walked up to Yumi.
"As soon as I send you back, you'll recover completely, much to Erik's shock.
"But be careful… Rasputin will find out quickly that you aren't dead, and he won't give up. You'll have to be more careful. What I just did… I'll never be able to do it a second time. Not for you, and not for any of your friends.
"I had to exploit several loopholes I discovered in the laws of the cosmos to save you, and now that I've done that, at least one of those loopholes, likely more, will almost definitely close, making my intervention impossible."
Yumi sighed.
"I understand," she said. "But will I ever see you again?"
Jaden smiled.
"Maybe…" he said. "Remember when I said that Syrus was colonizing a new planet? He's been in charge of exploration and colonization of Neo-Space since we took charge. This place keeps getting bigger, and soon, we'll need more help to govern it.
"So… if you and your friends are ever interested in the positions when they open…"
"Well, I kinda had my heart on a medical degree," said Yumi, "but we'll think about it."
"I'll call you," continued Jaden. "In the meantime, take this."
He handed her a card.
Yumi looked at the Trap Card.
"Keep it as a souvenir," he said. "And I have a feeling you might need it eventually."
"Well…" said Yumi. "Thanks for the help… And thanks for the duel."
"Yeah…" said Jaden. "Boy, Chazz and Alexis are never going to let me hear the end of this when they find out you beat me… They're gonna want to duel me again the next chance they get…
"Anyway… good luck. Give Rasputin an extra shot for me, huh?"
He started to say something else, but Yumi couldn't make it out. He and the surroundings were fading away.
The last thing Yumi heard was Winged Kuriboh's gentle cooing before everything went black.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Ren, Chelsea, and Sam were about ready to cry, as Erik applied rescue breathing to Yumi for what would be his last attempt.
"Yumi, please…" pleaded Ren, with tears forming in his eyes.
"Mmph… Mmph… Mmph…" came a noise.
"ERIK!" shouted Yumi.
She pushed him off of her.
Erik looked in disbelief, as Yumi sat up.
"Just out of curiosity, Erik," said Yumi, "did you brush your teeth this morning?"
"YUMI!" screamed Ren and Chelsea.
Before Yumi could react, she was smothered by hugs.
"Guys, please, don't crush me…" she said.
Erik looked in further disbelief.
"No way…" he muttered. "A minute ago you were gone… No-one can recover so fast from that state like that…"
Yumi stood up.
"Well, guys, you see…" she said.
She paused. She didn't know if she wanted to tell them. She wasn't sure if she believed it herself…
"It was a miracle…" muttered Sam.
Was it a miracle? thought Yumi. Maybe I could have just dreamed the whole thing…
She noticed she was holding something.
She held it up. It was the card Jaden had given her.
She looked up, through the glass roof of the arboretum, into the night sky…
Thanks, Jaden… she thought.
"Guys," she said, "miracle or not, I'm back… But Rasputin has the Rod of the Ancients…
"The true battle is about to begin…"
She paused.
"Man, I'm hungry…
"Oh, uhm, Ren? If you're thinking of reworking your deck, I have a little suggestion if you can find it…"
Yumi has been saved from certain death by a hero from the past… But Jaden cannot intervene a second time, and Rasputin is still around, perhaps stronger than ever, now that the final Shadow Charm is in his possession. What will be the next move of this man with a longing for immortality? Who will be his next target?
0
0
0
Chelsea: Yumi, you almost died! You have to just take it easy tonight!
Yumi: I know Chelsea, but I'm worried. Rasputin is out there, he has the Rod of the Ancients, and it's only a matter of time before he finds out how to use it.
He's a dangerous man. All five of us have Charms, and he might target any of us…
Cassandra: No, Yumi, tonight, his target is not you… It's time I stopped being a spectator…
Coming up next, "Rasputin versus Cassandra; Battle in the Realm of Thought".
Whom will Fate smile upon in this confrontation? Only time will tell…
0
0
0
I'd like to share with you the history of this chapter.
I had two problems outlining this fic.
Problem one: I was kind of at a loss to explain how Yumi could lose the duel and survive. I made sure to have Holly survive in the first Yami no Oujou to prove that survival was possible. Originally, I was going to have Yumi recover by having a secret power of her Crown activate. But then I thought it was lame.
Problem two: I wanted badly to have a duelist use a Neo-Spacian Deck, but it was impossible. In the anime world, the cards in this type of deck are unique to Jaden, and he would have never sold them for any price. Making counterfeits of them was unlikely as well.
Then it hit me…
I thought up a way to solve both problems at once.
The reason I had Yumi win the duel in this chapter was to please people who are upset by Jaden's apparent invincibility. I know there are a lot of people out there like this.
One small comment before I leave.
This future possibility does not take into account Season Four of GX. Basically, the only thing that is now known about Season Four is, there is a Season Four. Should Jaden not survive to see the end of the series… Well, this fic is an alternate reality anyway. We'll chalk it up to another way the future turned out differently.